Despite fighting with the Union, former Vice President Joe Biden's home state of Delaware has one monument dedicated to those who fought with the Confederacy.
The Daily Beast reports that the former slave state's 12-foot granite obelisk that features names of Delawareans who helped the rebel cause has caused tension in the state. The memorial sits between the state flag and the Confederate battle flag on the grounds of a museum operated by the Georgetown Historical Society.
Biden has called for the removal of all public Confederate monuments.
This monument, which was unveiled in 2007, is maintained by the Sons of Confederate Veterans in Delaware, also known as the Delaware Grays. Some see the monument and Confederate flag as a reminder of a dark time in the state's history. Despite remaining in the Union, Delaware refused to ratify the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that abolished slavery.
"Sadly, because the flag and monument are on the museum's property, there really is nothing that the state can do to force the museum to remove it," State Sen. Trey Paradee told The Daily Beast.
Last year, Paradee blocked the historical society that houses the memorial from receiving funding from the state because of the display.
He said he is "disgusted" by the sight of the Confederate battle flag flying next to Delaware's state flag.
"As long as I serve in the Delaware Senate, I will fight to make sure that damn museum does not receive a dime of taxpayer money as long as they continue to fly that treasonous symbol of racism and celebrate the traitors who fought to destroy the Union and perpetuate slavery," Paradee said.
"Vice President Biden has spoken out regarding how Confederate monuments and the Confederate flag itself represent systemic racism and some of the most agonizing chapters of American history," Andrew Bates, the Biden campaign's director of rapid response, told The Daily Beast. "While this is not on public land, he encourages the owners to remove the statue. He commends State Sen. Paradee on his efforts to withdraw state funding from the site as long as the monument stands."
During the monument's reveal, the Grays said in a statement, "There are monuments honoring those Delawareans who joined the Federal armies at Gettysburg and Antietam Battlefields, as well as other places, but none … recognizing the sacrifices of Delawareans who supported the cause of independence and the efforts of the Confederate States of America."
"I just tend to defend it on the fact that it's a historical fact and not a symbol of hatred," Jim Bowden, president of the historical society told the Delaware News Journal. "But also understanding that there are people that are hurt by the symbols that it's been used for."
© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.